Villanova gave Baylor fits for 30 minutes by slowing the Bears down. Arkansas was a nuisance by speeding them up.
But, ultimately, neither style could derail Scott Drew’s team. It can win fast or slow, and it is now two wins away from a national championship.
The top seed in the South Region, Baylor built a big early lead, lost most of it, and took over late in a hard-fought 81-72 victory over No. 3 Arkansas at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, moving on to the Final Four for the first time since 1950.
“That shows that we got real hoopers on our team,” senior guard MaCio Teague said. “We can play any style of basketball and we can adjust to certain situations.”
After losing in the Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012, Baylor will get to play on the sport’s biggest stage in Drew’s 18th season at the Waco, Texas school. It will meet Midwest Region champion No. 2 Houston, a 67-61 winner over No. 12 Oregon State, in a national semifinal Saturday night, keeping alive the potential of a blockbuster showdown with top-seeded Gonzaga on the final Monday of the season.
Baylor’s Adam Flagler (r) and Jonathan Tchamwa are off to the Final Four after beating Arkansas on Monday night. AP“I’ve been to two Elite Eights and seen Duke celebrate and win a national championship, Kentucky celebrate and win a national championship, and it’s nice that these guys were able to celebrate,” Drew said. “Pure joy and excitement. Seeing our guys have the chance to cut down a net, it doesn’t get much better than that in March.”
The big three of Davion Mitchell, Jared Butler and Teague each had their moments, combining for 48 points and 11 assists, and Baylor’s revitalized defense took charge late. It held Arkansas without a made field goal for 8:15 down the stretch, turned 15 turnovers into 21 points and limited projected lottery pick Moses Moody to a frustrating 2-for-10 shooting performance.
Mark Vital’s follow slam, following a Teague 3-pointer set up by a Mitchell drive, put an exclamation point on the victory, capping a 10-1 run to extend the lead to 13 with 2:44 remaining.
“They’re the best team that we’ve played this year,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said.
Down 18 in the first half, Arkansas (25-7) got within five early in the second half. Its momentum, then, stalled. JT Notae, who had keyed a first-half surge, was called for three fouls in a span of 1:44, and was lost for the game as a result. In that time, Mitchell found his rhythm, scoring four points in a 7-0 run to push the Baylor (26-2) edge back to 12.
But like in the first half, Arkansas wouldn’t stay down. It responded with eight consecutive points to get within four with 9:34 left, sending a message it wasn’t going anywhere.
Baylor didn’t flinch. It was able to keep the Razorbacks at an arm’s length. When the game was on the line, after the aforementioned run, the Bears took over at both ends of the floor, getting the shots they wanted while preventing Arkansas from doing the same. With Mitchell avoiding the foul trouble that limited him to nine first-half minutes, Baylor never lost control.
Flo Thamba celebrates Baylor reaching the Final Four. Getty Images“Davion Mitchell is one of the fastest guys I’ve ever guarded, especially this year. He’s a tough cover,” Arkansas guard Jalen Tate said of the South Region’s Most Outstanding Player. “You could tell they’re a completely different team on both sides of the ball [when he’s on the floor]. He’s a facilitator for them as well as just their anchor defensively.”
Baylor has beaten its four tournament foes by a cumulative 57 points, looking every bit like the team that started 18-0, and not the one that struggled late in the year on the defensive end. And now, for the first time in 71 years, it will have the chance to play for a national championship.
“What we did is history here,” Teague said.
More program firsts could be on the way.
